‘Anger Management’ Makes Syndication Deal

NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) – Here’s a deal Charlie Sheen isn’t mad at: the FX series “Anger Management” is getting syndicated to Fox Television Stations beginning in September 2014 – after airing for just one season.

The Fox stations will have plenty of episodes to re-air. Under an unusual deal, the series was picked up for 90 episodes after meeting a ratings threshold set by FX in its first season, which premiered in June. Fox Television Stations acquired the off-network rights from Debmar-Mercury in a cash and barter deal. No terms were disclosed.

The show will air on nine Fox stations. FX will retain the exclusive cable rights to its reruns.

“Typical wisdom says off-cable shows aren’t right for general syndication, but that’s way too narrow minded for today’s reality,” said Frank Cicha, senior vice president of programming for Fox Television Stations. “When a program produces these ratings, regardless of the platform, you have to take it seriously. We did, and we expect ‘Anger Management’ to be a key piece of our sitcom dominance for years to come.”

“Anger Management” will join Fox Television Stations’ other off-network comedies, including syndication’s No. 1 and 2 top syndicated shows of the past five years, “The Big Bang Theory” and “Modern Family.” Fox will offer double airings of “Anger Management” Monday through Sunday.

The series premiere episode of “Anger Management,” which marked Sheen’s return to series television after his high-profile firing from “Two and a Half Men,” was the most-watched primetime scripted comedy series premiere in cable history. It completed its 10-episode summer run as the highest-rated new comedy series on cable in 2012, averaging 4.53 million total viewers and 2.5 million adults in the key 18-49 demographic.

“Anger Management” stars Sheen as Charlie Goodson, a retired baseball player who is now a therapist specializing in anger management. The cast includes Selma Blair as a therapist and Goodson’s best friend – with whom he also has sex.
The show began production on its next episodes on September 24, with Sheen’s father, Martin Sheen, joining the cast in a recurring role. Bruce Helford is the show’s executive director and showrunner.

Mark Burg, Joe Roth, Vince Totino and Dave Caplan are executive producers. “Anger Management” is produced by Lionsgate Television and distributed by Debmar-Mercury.